Vault
]] ]] Il Vault è un tipo di installazione sotterranea concepito dalla Vault-Tec. Ufficialmente, furono creati per proteggere più di un migliaio di abitanti da un'olocausto nucleare. In realtà erano parte di un esperimento governativo. I Vault possiedono muri impenetrabili che proteggono dai disastri del mondo post-apocalittico. Storia Commissionati dal governo degli Stati Uniti come parte del Progetto Casa-Sicura, la Vault-Tec costruì 122 Vault sul territorio. Tuttavia, all'arrivo dei bombardamenti nucleare nel 2077, molti Vault furono sigillati senza la maggior parte dei loro abitanti, per via dell'effetto Al lupo, al lupo! creato da continui falsi allarmi. Il primo Vault fu costruito a Los Angeles, con l'intenzione di dimostrare la fattibilità della costruzione. Il Vault di esempio venne costruito sotto la città, e non entrò a far parte dell'esperimento. Molti Vault furono completati nel 2063, ad eccezione del Vault 13, terminato un'anno dopo. Vero scopo dei Vault Ufficialmente, i Vault erano dei rifugi anti-atomici progettati per proteggere la popolazione americana dall'olocausto nucleare. Tuttavia, una popolazione stimata di 400 milioni nel 2077, gli U.S.A. avrebbero necessitato di circa 400.000 Vault della grandezza del Vault 13, mentre la Vault-Tec ne costruì solo 122. La reale ragione per l'esistenza dei Vault era di studiare dei segmenti di popolazione per osservare le loro reazioni nello stress dell'isolamento forzato e come colonizzeranno la Terra dopo l'apertura dei Vault. Il governo ombra, l'Enclave, responsabile per l'esperimento (ufficialmente noti come "Programma di preservazione della società"), considerò che solo i membri dell'Enclave potevano ricolonizzare la terra dopo i bombardamenti, e per questo fine costruirono i loro bunker, isolati dalla rete dei Vault. L'obiettivo dell'Esperimento dei Vautl era di preparare l'Enclave per la ri-colonizzazione della terra, o di un'altro pianeta, in caso la Terra diventasse inabitabile. Il numero esatto dei Vault costruiti è un segreto di Stato ed è stato perso; ci sono stati i Vault "pubblici", e un numero imprecisato di Vault "privati". Anche sapendo che la Vault-Tec era una multinazionale presente in molte parti del globo, non possiamo stabilire se i Vault furono costruiti solo in America o anche nel resto del mondo.Interview with Chris Taylor at Vault 13.net Dei 122 Vault, solo 17 erano di controllo, che va a significare che solo 17 Vault furono costruiti secondo lo scopo ufficiale di protezione, mentre gli altri erano inclusi nell'esperimento. I pochi Vault che sono sopravvissuti intatti per oltre 80 anni, divennero utili per un'altro obiettivo: rifornimenti di umani incontaminati da sottoporre alle mutazioni del VEF, e candidati per diventare Supermutanti. Vault Noti Panoramica I Vault sono stati i bunker più costosi nel mondo pre-bellico, in accordo con la Guida di Sopravvivenza dell'Abitante del Vault. Il budget previsto per le costruzioni era di 400 miliardi di dollari, ma alla fine arrivò a 645 miliardi. I Vault furono dislocati in varie località, e poche informazioni sono disponibili sui criteri di scelta di tali località. Per esempio, i Vault 13 e 15 sono stati costruiti in posti molto remoti, lontani da centri abitati, mentre i Vault 12 e 101 a ridosso delle città. Ogni Vault è stato progettato per ospitare mille abitanti per un periodo indeterminato di tempo, ed equipaggiati con tutte le strutture e i rifornimenti necessari per sopravvivere in isolamento. Le strutture e i rifornimenti prevedevano kit di costruzione, fattorie, un sistema di purificazione dell'acqua, armi di difesa per 10 uomini, sistemi di comunicazione e monitor di superficie, file di intrattenimento, e uno o due K.R.E.G., creati per aiutare gli abitanti nel ripopolare il mondo. Tipi differenti di fonti d'energia sono stati assegnati ai Vault. Il Vault 13 utilizza principalmente energia geotermica, con un supporto di un reattore nucleare della General Atomics, che poteva sostenere mille abitanti per 200 anni. Il Vault 8 aveva un tipo non specificato di reattore, che non era progettato per una lunga durata. Tutti gli abitanti del Vault vestono una tuta blu e gialla, anche se il modello varia a seconda del Vault; ogni tuta del Vault ha stampato il numero del Vault corrispondente. Una persona media, che vive in un Vault in ottime condizioni ha una prospettiva di vita di 92,3 anni.Sistema pubblicitario del Vault 101: "Sapevate che l'aspettativa di vita di una persona media in un Vault in buono stato è di 92,3 anni?". E' da notare che la grandezza dei Vault nel gioco non deve essere presa come grandezza reale, infatti in nessun Vault che si è visto nel gioco potrebbero convivere 1000 persone. Parlando nella realtà. molti dei Vault sono falsi. Le potenti onde d'urto delle armi nucleari farebbe sì che l'entrata dei Vault (che non ha un supporto ed è realizzata in una cavità) crolli su se stessa. Questo bloccherebbe la pesante porta del Vault, causando l'intombamento degli abitanti. Questo deve essere accaduto al Vault 87, che ha subito un colpo diretto con una testata atomica, e i livelli di radiazione sono estremamente elevati anche 200 anni dopo. Probabilmente gli ingegneri della Vault-Tec hanno costruito così la maggior parte dei Vault perchè avevano stimato che non erano bersagli primari in un possibile conflitto, e che avrebbero sofferto da lontano delle pesanti esplosioni. Infatti il Vault 112 possiede unìentrata rinforzata da strutture d'acciaio e un tunnel in cemento, che sono stati capaci di sostenere l'esplosione nucleare. L'edificio sopra l'entrata, tuttavia, è stato semi ricoperto dai detriti. Entrata I Vault sono connessi al mondo esterno tramite una sola via - la Porta del Vault (con l'eccezione del Vault 87). Chiuse dall'interno da una porta rinforzata di sicurezza, e dall'esterno da una massiccia porta a forma di ruota dentata (che Tre Cani definisce "pesante 13 tonnellate"), è l'unica via per accedere al Vault, anche se in alcuni Vault esistono delle entrate secondarie. Il Vault 87 possiede due entrate secondarie, accessibili dalle caverne di Little Lamplight. I codici di sicurezza sono necessari per entrare e uscire dal Vault, e questi sono in possesso di poche persone. I Vault della Costa Est non sembrano necessitare di codici, ma hanno una cosole di comando all'esterno e all'interno del Vault. The automated narrator of the the Vault-Tec vault demonstration in Washington DC's Museum of Technology states that the doors had a projected 2% failure rate in case of a direct hit by a nuclear missile. So far, the only known vault to have been hit directly (or very nearly) by a nuclear weapon is Vault 87. According to the terminal of Vault 87's overseer, the blast caused the vault's main door to completely and utterly fail, apparently damaging it "beyond repair." Though this could be considered unfortunate and ironic happenstance, it is more likely an indicator that Vault-Tec's failure rates were completely fabricated. Most Vaults use a Seal-N-Safe Vault Door Model No. 343Vault 15 townmap from Fallout to secure the airlock, however, some older Vaults (such as Vault 101) use a different, more crude blast door model. Vault 8, the control Vault, had also a second, much larger, blast door built, that secured the entry hallway leading to the entrance to the Vault. In addition, the Entrance level also houses the Emergency Medical Lab complete with an AutoDoc. A Vault medic was required to be present at the EML 24 hours a day. The lab had the equipment to treat nearly all injuries and illnesses, ranging from simple bruises to irradiation. Living Quarters Standard pre-War design of the living quarters was that of a single room with a sanitary annex. Vault 13 had one hundred living quarters, and at maximum capacity, ten people would be assigned to a single living quarter, in a hot bunking system. A standard level had 20,000 square feet of usable area. The lights used in the Vaults used SimuSun technology, making it feel just like the outdoors, with only a fraction of a sunburn risk. The lights in Vault 101 were kept on all the time to prevent a Radroach infestation. New Entertainertrons were used to play holotapes, and used as a slide projector in the classroom of Vault 101. Command Center Heart of the Vault, the command center was where the Overseer's seat was located. The operations center, apart from the seat of power, included the computer lab, where the water purification system was located, and an armory, where the Vault's arms were stockpiled. A security guard was posted in the command center at all times, to ensure that the armaments are properly secured, and handed out only to people possessing the proper clearance from the Overseer. Apart from that, the level also contained the computer core (with the Vault's AI monitoring the shelter 24/7), housing data processing units, a library playing an important role in educating Vault Dwellers and information, a meeting room for the dwellers and the primary store room, where the most important supplies would be stored. The Overseer is also able to see anyone inside the Vault with the Eye-on-you cameras. Equipped with dual 5mm miniguns in some Vaults, the Overseer's command post can be considered the last line of defense in case the Vault security is breached. Differences * Vault 29 (Van Buren) was outfitted with a ZAX AI, which replaced the Overseer. * Vault 12 had its Overseer's room sealed due to the fact that the main door of the vault was doomed never to close. * East Coast Vaults (87, 92, 101, 106, 108, 112) use a different, older door mechanism (as evidenced by extensive rusting and meager safety precautions). The East Coast Vault opening mechanisms are contained entirely within the Vault itself, pulling the door inwards and simply rolling it to one side. The doors seen on West Coast Vaults, however, pull the seal outwards and use an external clamp to slide it aside. * East Coast Vaults lack storage rooms in the Overseer's office; they are instead located near the Atrium. * The Vault-Tec Secret Vault had an entirely different layout than other vaults. Results In terms of providing safety and security for their inhabitants, most of the Vaults were complete failures. However, as noted in the Penny Arcade Comic, the Vaults were never really intended to save anyone. There was simply not enough time, money or resources to build enough shelters to house more than a fraction of the population. While the "control vaults" did function as advertised and open on schedule, most were actually intended to explore and observe how societies adapt (or, more often, fail to adapt) to various challenges and restrictions. These social experiments were performed on live and mostly unaware subjects, monitored by Vault-Tec researchers in separate facilities, and undertaken at the behest of what would become the Enclave as part of a massive feasibility study of how to best re-colonize a barren Earth or, if necessary, other planets. Most of the Vaults seen in the games were non-viable 200 or even a mere 80 years after the War. While Vault 13 might have lasted until its scheduled opening date of 2277, the unplanned failure of the Water Chip forced the Overseer's hand and set subsequent events in motion. If Vault 101 was truly intended to stay closed "forever", its failure was inevitable; the only question was how long, and what form the change or disaster would take. Many other Vaults were abandoned because of unlivable conditions, or saw the residents driven violently insane by the procedures inflicted on them. Some of these continue to pose a hazard to the unwary who wander in from outside, looking for loot or a place of safety. Despite all of this, the experiment may be considered a success in terms of the data collected... data that was much more important to the Vault-Tec and Enclave scientists than a few hundred thousand lives, most of whom would have died anyway if not for the Vaults. Appearances Fallout: * Vault 12, Vault 13, Vault 15 and the LA Vault appeared in Fallout 1 * Vault 8, Vault 13 and Vault 15 appeared in Fallout 2 * Some Vaults were mentioned by President Richardson - some of them had not enough food synthesizers, others had only men in them, yet others were designed to open after only 6 monthssimilar, but not the same descriptions as at Fallout Bible. * A malfunctioning Vault with unknown number and location appeared in the Van Buren tech demo * A Vault 69 advertisement appeared in the Van Buren concept art. * Vault 29 and Vault 70 were to appear in Van Buren, the cancelled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle (year 2253). * Vault 101 appears in Fallout 3 alongside Vault 87, Vault 92, Vault 106, Vault 108, Vault 112, and the DC demo Vault (year 2277). Vault 76 is mentioned in a Pentagon terminal, but it doesn't exist in the current game. A Vault 77 jumpsuit can also be found in Paradise Falls but the Vault does not exist in the game. The other Vaults present in this article were mentioned in Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible or Penny Arcade's comic strips. Spin-offs: * Vault 0 appeared in Fallout Tactics, but the idea did not really fit the Vault experiment. * A secret Vault-Tec Vault dedicated to FEV research appeared in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, but is considered non-canon. Behind the scenes The vault experiment was an idea created by Tim Cain during the initial stages of Fallout 2 development. Cut content The developers intended for the player to first encounter information about the Vault Experiment as they read the Vault 8 records in Fallout 2. They could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) explaining the purpose of Vault 8 was to be a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and open at a designated time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the Vaults. The player was also intended''Fallout Bible 0'' to apply his Science skill to the central computer in Vault 13 to obtain a history of Vault 13, the Overseer's involvement in the Vault Dweller's expulsion, and even worse, the true purposes of the Vaults. The Overseer was conscious of the true purpose of the Vaults as social experiments on a grand scale, and consequently drove out the Vault Dweller because of fear he would ruin the experiment... or uncover it. Notes In the Vault-Tec Headquarters, a gear-shaped Vault door can be seen hanging from the ceiling to the right of the lobby. It is a copy of the Vault 101 door, right down the number on the centre. There is another vault exhibit in Washington DC inside the Museum of Technology. This one however, though containing the same materials for walls and lighting is only one corridor with vault doors at either side always kept open for the museum visitors to take the tour. Just like Vaults 87, 92, 106, and 108 the metal walls have rusted over time. It's safe to say this "vault" did not work as halfway through the corridor, a charcoaled skeleton of a janitor can be seen on the floor showing that they were killed by the bombs. In the Museum of Technology the door number of the Vault door featured in the Vault tour is not visible, but it is possible it reads 001. Interesting Fact: Since the Vault-Tec Headquarters is located in the Capital Wasteland close to the D.C. Ruins, an inconsistency appears. It would be logical to start building the first Vaults closer to the Headquarters, if not control Vaults. However, the Vaults which have numbers in the beginning of the numerical system were built on the West Coast, while the ending Vault numbers appear on the East Coast. A possible explanation for this is that the numbers assigned to the Vaults do not indicate which order the Vaults were built. Evident by the fact Vault 13 was one of the last ones built. Also, in order to ensure fairness and diversity between humans living inside of the Vaults, it would be logical to construct the Vaults evenly throughout the United States. Again, we know of a much greater number of Vaults on either the West or East Coasts than we do in other regions of the country. An explanation for this could be the fact that the Vaults were not primarily built for the preservation of human life after the Great War. It is also possible, that Vault-Tec, being a large company, had headquarters on both sides of the country, yet neither was their "official" headquarters. Another possibility is that Vault-Tec assigned blocks of numbers to a specific high-population region, with a block including at least 8-15 located in California and another block spanning at least 87-112 found in the greater Washington DC area. Sources Most of the above comes from: *''Fallout Bible'' #0 *Vault Dweller's Survival Guide *Vault Locations v34.129 holodisc References